Apparatus for closing cans and method of vacuumizing the cans prior to sealing



A. L. KRONQUEST APPARATUS FOR CLOSING CANS AND METHOD OF June 28, 1932.

VACUUMIZING THE CANS PRTOR TO SEALING Filed Feb. ll, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheetl fred/L.

June 28, Ah KRONQUEST 1,865,320

APPARATUS FOR CLOSING CANS AND METHOD OF VACUUMIZING THE CANS PRIOR TOSEALING Filed Feb. ll, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 j 2 lll `L| |J l 1 f ,5 ifiV ,lv V J\ manto@ QCredL. vzws Patented `lune 28, 1932 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE ALFRED Ii. KRONQUESKT, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TOCONTINENTAL GAN I COMPANY, INC., 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., yA CORPORATION 0FNEW YORK APPARATUS FOR CLOSING CANSYAND METHOD OF VACUUMIZING THE CANSPRIOR v T0 SE'ALING Vals f Application led February 11, 1931. Serial No.515,097.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in an apparatus forclosingv clinched thereto, after which the can is passed into a separatechamber which may be maintained under dili'erent atmospheric conditionswherein the cover is seamed to the can and the can sealed.

A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of theabove character wherein the first and second chambers are separated by avalve which conveys the cans from one chamber into the other withoutestablishing direct communication between the chambers. i A furtherobject 0f the invention is to provide a method of closing cans in vacuumwhereby the can after the cover has been clinched thereto and beforebeing passed into the seaming chamber is subjected to a vacuum slightergreater than the vacuum in the seaming chamber, so that when a can ispassed into the seaming chamber, no f`air or contents will be drawn fromthe can.

These and other Objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

Inthe drawings- FigureA 1 vis a horizontal sectional View showing moreor less diagrammatically an apparatus embodying the invention, and

Fig'. 2 is a vertical section-al view through the valve and the maincasing showing one of the seaming mechanisms.

The invention is directed vto ran apparatus for closingcans, and has todo particularly with an apparatus `for creating a vacuum 1n the canprior to the sealing of the same, or for charging the can with an inertgas 'prior to the sealing of the same. Tothis Aend, the t can body hasthe end which is to be secured thereto for closing the same, clinched t0the body. This will hold the can endin place on the body and it willalso prevent the drawing, to a certain extent, of a finely powderedproduct from the can when it is placed under vacuum. The cover, however,does not interfere with the drawing of the vacuum on the can, and someof the finely powdered product may be drawn from the can during thisprelimlnary treatment for creating a vacuum within the can. The can withthe cover clinched thereto is passed through a valve into this chamberwhere it is vacuumized, and then through another valve into the sealingchamber where the cover is seamed to the body. This last-named valveseparates the two chambers, preventing direct communication between thetwo, but at the same time, it passes the cans after the firstpreliminary vacuum treatment into al chamber where the cover may beseamed to the body. This seallng chamber may be placed underv vacuumwhen it is desired to seal the contents of the can in vacuum. It mayalso be charged with an inert gas, such as CO2 gas, nitrogen or thellke, which enters the can replacing the vacuum therein, so that the canis sealed with the food product in the presence of an inert gas. f Theinvention hasvto'do also with 'a new method of sealing cans with theproducts thereof in vacuum, which 'is particularly adapted for thepackaging of dry powdered products. `When a vacuum 1s drawn on a canhaving a linelypowde'red product therein, some of the product passes outwith the air, and the operating parts of the seaming mechanism Withinthe chamber become clogged with the product.

In the apparatus described above, the first chamber where the vacuum isdrawn on the can is placed under a greater degree of vacuum than thechamber wherein the cover is seamed to the can body.' When the can isplaced under a greater degree of vacuum than that maintained on thesealing chamber, then when the can is passed into the 'sealing chamber,air, if anything, passes into the can rather thanout of the can, andtherefore, no product is drawn from the can. In this chamber having aless degree of vacuum, the desired vacuum on the can is maintained andthe cover is seamed to the can body, thus ratus includes a machine forjoining the can end to the can body by double seaming.V This part of theapparatus, as shown, is similar in construction to that described in theapplication of Nelson Troyer, Serial No. 372,772, filed June 21, 1929.The machine of this application has only been shown diagrammatically andit will be understood, of course, that other types of closin machinesmay be used. This machine inclues a casing 1 having a vacuum chamber 2in which is a rotating turret 3 which receives the cans and conveys themto the seaming stations. The vacuum chamber 2 is, of course, connectedthrough suitable piping means with a vacuum creating apparatus, asdisclosed in the application referred'to. One of the seaming heads isindicated at 4 in the drawings. There are two seaming heads, a first anda second operation seaming head. The can which is indicated at C ismoved on to a support 5 beneath the seaming station which raises the caninto range of the seamingrolls. The support at the first seaming stationis indicated at 5 in Fi 1, and the second one is indicated at 5.` T ecans are passed into the seaming chamber through a valve 6 which isprovided with a series of pockets 7, 7.- The can is taken from thepocket by a device 8 which reaches into the pocket and removes the canfrom the pocket, placing the same against a guide 9 and forcing the caninto the pocket 10 of the rotating feed turret within the seamingchamber. Thus it 1sthat thev cans are carried first to one seamingstation and then the other, and finally delivered to the pocket 7 in thevalve 6, and thus,the sealed cans are delivered from the chamber. Thecans to be sealed with their ends clinched thereto, are fed by aconveyor 11 along a supporting table and into a rotating valve 12. Atransfer device 13 aids in the moving of the cans from the conveyor 11into a pocket 14 of this valve 12. The valve 12 rotates in a housing 15.The can is removed from the valve by a rotating device 16 which reachesinto the pocket and withdraws the can from the pocket and places thesame behind a feed lug on a conveyor chain 17. This device 16 is similarto the device 8 used in the closing machine. A casing 18 forms a chamber19, and it is into this chamber that the cans are passed bythe rotatingvalve 12. The cans are guided through the chamber by guide rails 20 and21 and are moved by the conveyor 17 This conveyor is arranged so thatthe chamber is a closed chamber, and the chamber may be placed undervacuum by a suitable apparatus connected to a pipe 22. This chamber is,ofysuificient length so that while thev can is passing through thechamber, a vacuum will be drawn on the can. The cover is clinched to thecan, but this does not prevent the drawing of the vacuum on the can.This chamber is preferably placed under a vacuum slightly greater indegree than the vacuum in the seaming chamber. For example, this chambermay be maintained under a vacuum of twenty-nine inches, while theseaming or sealing chamber is under a vacuum 0f twenty-eight andone-half inches.

In carrying out my improved method, it is essential that the vacuumdrawn on the can in this chamber 19 shall be slightly greater than thevacuum m'aintained'on the chamber 2 where the seaming operation isperformed. The cans are transferred from the conveyor 17 by means of arotating device 23 into the pockets 7 of the rotating valve 6, and thusthe cans are delivered from the first vacuum chamber 19 into the secondvac-- uum chamber 2, which are separated from each other by thisrotating valve 6.4 This prevents direct communication between the twochambers, so that the degree of vacuum or the atmospheric condition inthe chamber 2 may be different from that in the cham'- ber 19. The cans,after they have been closed, are removed from the pockets of the valve 6by a rotating device 24 which places the cans in front of suitable lugscarried by a conveyor chain 25, and thus the cams are delivered from theapparatus.

No attempt has been made to show the means for operating the valve 12 orthe transfer devices 13, 16 and 23. 4Neither has any attempt been madeto show the operating means for the conveyors 11, 17 and 25. Thesefeatures may be of any well known construction, and the power foroperating the same taken from the main shaft of the closing machinethrough suitable gears and sprocket drives.

The chamber 2 may be charged with an inert gas, such as carbon dioxidegas, or nitrogen gas, and thus the apparatus used for sealing cans wherethe product is packed in an inert gas. This chamber 2 maybe placed undervacuum, and thus the cans sealed with the product in a vacuum.

When the chamber 19 is maintained under a greater degree of vacuuln thanthe chamber 2, a vacuum'may be drawn on the can very quickly. When thecan contains a finely powdered product, some of the product may be drawnfrom the can as the air passes "therefrom. This occurs in the chamber 19where there a're no active seaming elements.

Therefore, a product drawn from the can with the air does not, in anyway, interfere with the operating parts of the lseaming mechanism. Inthe chamber 2, when the vacuum isof less degree than the vacuumestablished inthe can in the chamber 19 and incase@ v maintained in thecan as it passes into the chamber 2, there will be, it anything,a'passing of air into the can rather than out of the can, and therefore,no product whatever will be withdrawn trom the can in the seamingchamber, and the rotating seam'ing parts will be protected from Contactwith the product. The chamber i9 may be provided with a closure meanswhereby it may be readily opened, and the accumulating product removedtherefrom. 1

@ne feature ot the invention is this new method oi vacuumizin'g a canwhich consists' in the subjecting oi the can to a higher degree ofvacuum than that maintained in the sealing chamber prior to the passingoi the can into the sealing chamber, This accom-v plishes twofunctions-it enables the vacuum in the can to be'drawn very quickly andto the 'proper' degree by a very high degree oiF vacunm pull, and italso revents the drawing oi any product out oi tne can in theichamberwhere the seeming Ataires place by the vacuum pull on said chamber,

The apparatus may be used notonly tor producing a vacuum on a can whichis to be sealed, but also for charging the can with an inert gas, andthis is accomplished by reason oit the tact that the chamber 2 is cutoil ir'om direct communication with the chamn ing machines may be usedand other arrange ments ot the valves and chambers may be made, Theessential ieatures consist 'in the maintainingd oi the two separatedchambers through which the cans pass, the tiret for drawing the vacuumon 'the can, and the second ior either maintaining a vacuum while thecan is being sealed, or tor charging the can with an inert iras rior tothe sealin oi the same..

` Having thus described the invention, what il claim as new and desireto secure by l,liet-f ters-Patent, is=

l. in apparatus for closing cans comprising a closed sealing chamberhaving a seaming mechanism therein, a closed treating chamber associatedwith said sealing chamber, a' pocketed valve between said chambers forreceiving cans from the treating chamber and delivering the same to thesealing chamber without exposing the can to the atmosphere, a'pocketedvalve for closing the entrance to said treating chamber, and meanswithin said treating chamber for receiving the cans from the entrancevalve, conveying the cans through said chamber and delivern "ing thesame to the valve torpassing the same ext/ending lengthwise of thetreating chamber tor conveying the cans iromone end thereoit to theother, means or removing the cans trom thevalve at the entrance to said'treatu ing chamber and positioning the same on the conveyor, and meanstor receiving cans trom the conveyor and placing the same in the pocketor the valve 'for the passing oil the can into the 'sealing chamber,

3. rthe method ont sealing cans in vacuum consisting in passing the canwith the cover loosely applied thereto through a vacuum chamberv`wherein the vacuum is maintained at substantially a predetermineddegree, transferring the can iromsaid chamber directly into a sealingchamber maintained at a less degree ot vacuum than the tiret namedchamber and seeming said cover to the container while in said last namedchamber,

l, The method oi sealing cans in vacuum consisting in passing the canwith the cover loosely applied thereto, through a closed chambermaintained substantially ata predetermined degree ot vacuum, passing thecan trom said chamber into a second ,chamber without exposing the sameto atmospheric pressure, which second chamber is main tained under adegree oi vacuum slightly less than the vacuum on the tirst namedchamber and sealing said container in said second named chamber,

ln testimon whereof, ll ama my si ature,

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